FRIDAY ROUNDUP! (July 2010, wk 5)

Every other week this summer, The Signal will be offering up a Friday Roundup: a collection of mini-reviews, TV news, interesting links and varying television-related thoughts that weren’t big enough to merit a full post on their own. Enjoy!

Reviews, Thoughts and Other Ruminations

Covert Affairs: Very, very USA Network, and I mean that both in a good way (breezily charming, fun escapism) and the bad (very skippable, not that much meat on its bones). Piper Perabo is very good as the green CIA field agent pulled ahead out of training, and Christopher Gorham uses his charm as a blunt instrument to make the show a lot better than it deserves to be. Other actors I enjoy here from past series I’ve loved include Peter Gallagher as the tough CIA boss and Kari Matchett as his wife and Annie’s superior. Anne Dudek is wasted in a side role, but anything that pays that wonderful actress’ bills is okay by me.

News

Glenn Close is Untouchable: FX’s fantastic legal drama, Damages, which has been on ratings life support since its first season, has been picked up for seasons 4 and 5 by DirectTV (DHD, 19/07/2010). Between this (with Glenn Close as continual deserving winner of Emmys’ Best Dramatic Lead Actress) and DTV’s heavy Emmy campaign that finally scored noms for Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton of Friday Night Lights, I have to wonder if their aims to break into the public consciousness are based around Emmy wins…